New Space Cargo Ship Makes First Flight

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/tech/innovation/space-cargo-launch/index.html

This article highlighted the launch of an unmanned space shuttle that left on Wednesday, September 18 from its launch facility in Virginia, on its way to the International Space Station. Everyone is eager to hear updates upon its arrival, but so far Frank Culbertson, former astronaut and current head of the Orbital Science Corp's advanced programs says the shuttle is "working really well right now". It should be-NASA has issued a $1.6 billion contract to work on it. Also sharing this contract is SpaceX, who make the Dragon capsule that will eventually be capable of carrying passengers.

Space always seems like such an obscure concept to me, surreal almost. That's why I always find it so interesting when I see articles about the latest technology for space travel and the latest trips and shuttles sent out-it makes it feel more real. I don't think I'm ever destined to walk on the moon, but I'm excited to keep following our further advancements as we explore what's outside of Earth's realm!

(image from google images)

Health Apps Don't Save People, People Do

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/19/technology/mobile-health-apps.pr.fortune/index.html

In this article, the effects of health software applications are studied. With all the technology these days, there are apps for almost anything-including tracking and analyzing your exercise patterns, dietary details, sleep habits, and other factors that influence your health. In fact, about $150 million is invested in these softwares. But the real question is: Does motivation through digital contests really produce results? Unfortunately, so far it hasn't. In fact, these apps can't do anything about lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. There are many reasons for this, one being that the exercise in unsupervised and therefore can be unproductive or even harmful if someone doesn't know how to properly treat his or her body. So, what's the answer? It turns out the most helpful way to keep on track with your health is to attend local lifestyle support groups or programs that check in weekly with a group of people going through the same changes and have similar goals. IPhones can sure do a lot, but there's just no way to beat real-life motivation from real-life people that allows you to help each other reach the similar goal of a healthy lifestyle. There's no app for that yet!

I chose this article because, being a part of the generation of technology, I'm always hearing through the media or through my friends about the latest apps that are supposed to help you lose weight, or track how many calories you burn a day, or self-diagnose when you're sick, etc. I've always been skeptical of their value, but some people have sworn by these apps. It is comforting to know that people haven't given up on real-life contact for motivation. After reading about that, it makes me a little less scared about the possibility of our future generation looking more and more like robots!

(image from google images)

Change is in the Wind, Offshore

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/19/technology/offshore-wind-farm.pr.fortune/index.html

This article is about the world's largest offshore wind farm, found in the UK. The project is called London Array and the turbines are located by the capital. The farm consists of a whopping 175 giant turbines that generate enough power for 500,000 homes. Meanwhile, here in the US we don't have any offshore wind farms. Sure, they're three times more expensive to build offshore, but we need to be looking at the big pictures and the future of our environment; it's time for us to catch up. Gov. Chris Christie here in Jersey would like to see one by 2020. We'll see if this is an achievable goal, but it would truly be wonderful if we could pull it together, not only to keep up with Europe, but to keep up with the constant need for renewable energy that is holding our planet together!

This article interested me because it seems to be a constant theme of the US lacking behind on so many important innovative changes, and I feel it always seem,s we have too much pride to admit when someone else thought of a good idea and that it's about time we learn from them! I'll be impressed if we start to make some of the positive environmental changes we keep reading about that are happening elsewhere-possibly starting with a wind farm right here in NJ!

How to Really Teach Environmental Science to Kids

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/gudmundsen/2013/09/01/ecology-learning-apps-kids/2700271/

This article stood out to me because, as a hopeful elementary school teacher, technology and its affects on education is always a concern. It was great to see finally someone putting kids' affinity for technology to good use! Learning games and apps are a great way to get young students to develop a love for learning, by first taking something that they already know how to do and adding in the information we want to get across.

Games are always a great supplement to any unit being taught to kids, but it especially makes sense to incorporate science. Environmental science focuses on the cause and effect of our actions as humans to our surrounding environment. Interactive games area a great way to show kids very clearly that the decisions they make immediately affect other organisms. Being able to see it and feel a part of it is a much more affective way of learning than just hearing about it and being given the same warnings. Our only hope is that the kids can take what they learn from the game and, rather than just worrying about however many points they scored in a round, be able to connect what they've learned to real life. If our young generation can grasp the importance of keeping our environment clean and safe, then there's hope for all of us!